Behind every successful school, there are parents who get involved!

To show Parenthèse readers how parents from across the province contribute to their school community, we’re publishing “portraits” of parents who commit themselves in various ways to the community.

Annick, parent volunteer at École Entre-lacs, Penticton

I have 3 children: 

Maverik, 6 years old, in Grade 1 at l’école Entre-lacs,

Maelyn, 4 years old, in preschool at prématernelle Pomme Soleil, 

Zada, who will be 2 years old just before Christmas, attending Franc Départ. 

My involvement in the school community is defined by:

Active for almost three years in the Société de la Petite enfance de l’école Entre-lacs (a non-profit organization that manages prématernelle Pomme Soleil and the before and after school program), I am the Treasurer this year. Our Board is very proud of the work accomplished during the past years, including the installation of a washroom adjacent to our preschool class. Our next big project will be to develop a natural playground for our little ones!

When my son entered kindergarten last year, I started to get involved as a volunteer in his class, to distribute hot meals and also to be on the Board of the APÉ. In addition, I am providing a daycare service in my home, in French, for the second consecutive year.

My main character trait:

I’m an independent and dynamic person, traits that allowed me to leave Quebec and settle in British Columbia, where I met my husband and started my family. In my adopted Francophone community, I like to take on initiatives to bring people together and carry out new projects.

An important value for my family:

Enjoy simplicity! For our family, a cardboard box can become a thousand and one things, or a walk in the woods can teach us a multitude of interesting facts, trigger a good discussion, or simply allow us to take a big breath of air. In an increasingly materialistic society, I want my children to understand that we need very little to be happy; I would like to give them the gift of imagination, love of nature, simplicity.

A dream that I hold for my children: 

As part of an exogamous family living in an Anglophone environment, I want my children to be as comfortable expressing themselves in French as they are in English. It is very important to me that they understand and be understood by Grandpa and Grandma, and the rest of my family who live in Quebec!

What I love the most about our Francophone school:

I love the fact that we’re all like a big family at school. Everyone knows each other, both parents and children. This is the advantage of having a small and very tightly knit Francophone community within the school.

An achievement I’m proud of: 

When the new Board of the Société de la Petite enfance de l’école Entre-lacs was formed in January 2011, we were a small core of individuals determined to improve the services and management of the various programs provided by the Société. We came aboard a sinking ship and I am very proud to have been part of the rescue team. We have managed to produce balanced budgets, to improve services, and to find $10,000 for the construction of a washroom. The Board now has 12 parents dedicated to the proper functioning of the existing programs and to the development of new opportunities for our Francophone students in Penticton.